Empress of the Future
Empress of the Future is a Marianan pop-rock music group that was created in 2012. The members are John Amos (drummer), Peter Lindsey (bass), Jan Kort (guitar, singer), Erica Milton (keyboard, singer) and (usually) Hania (singer). Their music is released with Vibra Records. History Early career (2012-2013) Empress of the Future was originally started in 2011 as a duo between Jan Kort and Erica Milton known as The Empress. As a duo, they wrote (or co-wrote) several songs and performed them, which would later be hits for Empress of the Future. The two recruited Hania and Amos in March 2012, and in June they brought in Lindsey as a fifth member. By then work on an album was underway, and the group worked through the summer. A deal with Vibra Records was arranged, conditional on an album being released that year. An eponymous album, Empress of the Future was released in November 2012, though it was abridged to have it come out earlier. The album was a critical success, but sales were slow, only increasing significantly after summer 2013. A six song EP, Part Two/Everything Else was released in May 2013, containing unfinished material and songs not released in their first album. Within a month of its release, it had outsold their first album, leading to Vibra signing the group on to produce three further albums. In June they held their first series of concerts as a group throughout Mariana. All Day Breakfast (9 to 5) Work on a full-length album began before the release of Part Two/Everything Else. Several songs had been worked on throughout the spring and summer, and the new album was announced to the media. Kort stated that the album was an hommage to classic Americana, but did announce that Hania would not be part of the album, citing other commitments (her solo album I. Am. was under works). On 13 September, the group released the first singles for the album. A 1920s inspired sepia photo of the group served as the cover, and using a pun on their name, was aptly titled Empress of the Past. Including two songs, The Past and Texarkana, it was released as a 7 inch vinyl first, and only a month later as a digital download, with buyers of the single receiving digital copies free of charge. Anglo-American media asked why they chose the name <>, with Lindsey saying they <>. In October that year, EotF was invited to perform in Barcelona, Valencia and Alicante, where their appeal began to grow outside of Mariana. On 1 December, All Day Breakfast (9 to 5) was released, and by Christmas had managed sales of 11.000. The album art was taken in front of a family restaurant in Carrington which served American-style breakfasts and lunches, thus the name. Kort said the name was chosen as he saw such a concept as <>. Ninetynine Cents (2014) EotF began work on an album early in the year, with Amos stating the first <> song was done by late March. The group was invited to the music festival in Sierra, their first concert outside of Europe. Together for the first time after Hania's working on her own album, the group toured the Pacific coast, getting inspiration for the new album. The photo eventually used in the cover was taken at an intersection across a 99 cent depot in Sacramento, leading to the album title of Ninetynine Cents. Hania had less involvement in the album, instead focusing on a self-titled album. In June, the band appeared at in Scotland (without Hania) and (September) in Dorset, England. Work continued on new material throughout these engagements, and the album was released on 21 August. Ninetynine Cents finished at number 2 in Mariana's album charts, just behind Taylor Swift's 1989. It was deemed to be the group's best release (at the time), and Appeal magazine called it <> in comparison to their previous work. Why Wonder? (2015) After the release of Ninetynine Cents, EotF took a break from recording and touring, apart from a showing at Bestival. 2015 saw the group start work on new material for an album. The group took their time with this album, balancing in concerts and personal lives. The first and only single, Wonders, was released on 20 July. The full album became available on 10 September. Wonders, the lead single, shot up from 56th spot on the Marianan charts to number 2 in mid-November. Self Portrait (2017) Work on the group's latest album (Self Portrait) began in the fall of 2016. According to Kort, :Self Portrait is a retrospective of our first five years as a group, looking back on on our sounds over the years. It is most definitely not a <> album, which are cheap and cheesy, or would you really think our placement of a song withing a specific album is for no reason? This album merely captures our sound and style and how it has evolved. The first release leading up to the album was the single Reasons. Back with Sad Face, it was released digitally in November, and as a 45 rpm single in December. Plans for the album's release are for sometime in the spring of 2017. One of the songs being recorded, Darkest Night, is a totally new take on a Q-Lo song from the album Saudade. Discography Singles and EPs EotF- Part Two Everything Else.png|Part Two/Everything Else (2013, EP) Empress of the Past Single.png|Empress of the Past (2013, Single) EotF - Wonders.png|Wonders (2015, single) What's a Direction.png|What's a Direction? (2016, single) Reasons - Sad Face.png|Reasons (2016) Albums EotF - Empress of the Future.png|Empress of the Future (2012) EotF - All Day Breakfast (9 to 5).png|All Day Breakfast (9 to 5) (2013) EotF - Ninetynine Cents.png|Ninetynine Cents (2014) EotF - Why Wonder.png|Why Wonder? (2015) EoTF - Self Portrait.png|Self Portrait (2017, upcoming) Category:Music Category:Mariana Category:Musicians of Mariana